The “LEGO SYSTEM – Raft (2537)” was one of the coolest $2 sets of 1998 (with the “LEGO System – Castle” being my favorites) and it’s worth pursuing if you can find it online for a good price!
LEGO SET: LEGO SYSTEM – Raft
ITEM #: 2537
PIECES: 21
PRICE: $1.99
AGES: 5-12
THE REVIEW:
Before 1992 and LEGO would use Octan as their fictional gasoline company, many of the toys featured the oil company, Shell.
Since 1966, LEGO and Shell have had a collaboration for their European releases (in the US, their was collaborations with Exxon). But by 1986, LEGO toys with the Shell logo would be seen in the United States.
And while the LEGO/Shell collaboration had continued through 2014 for releases in Asia, this year, Shell decided to not renew its partnership with the oil company.
In 1998, LEGO/Shell released 10 small LEGO SYSTEM town/extreme team sets and one of them was the LEGO SYSTEM – Raft (2537) which was interesting as it featured a female character with two sticks of dynamie (ala 1×2 tiles) and a fish.
Let’s begin with the minifigure for raft. The figure features a life vest with an X printing on the back of the jacket. The female figure wears a blue hat and back then, the biggest indicator of the female character was the eyes and red lips.
While in today’s LEGO standard, the figure was not much in terms of detail but it was one of the first female characters to be featured in a dangerous job as she has sticks of dynamite.
While I’m not sure if the fish signifies dying fish or fish that she managed to catch (despite not having the fishing tools on the raft), you do get a backpack, binocular telescope, oar, radio, axe and hammer. And as mentioned, two 1×2 titles to indicate a stick of dynamite.
As for the raft, with only 21 pieces, it’s a quick 5-10 minute build. It’s important to note that the raft piece on back (in grey) was modified as I do not have a single holder which would have held a radio and the axe on the sides. But because you do get a hammer, I felt it would be good to have the holder on the right holding a radio an holder in the back for the axe and hammer.
Back then, getting these little sets for $2 was such a steal. A minifigure with many accessories and back in the ’90s, the LEGO SYSTEM – Raft (2537) did not disappoint.
The collaboration between LEGO and Shell at the time was fruitful, as there were so many various sets that parents/children could buy for $2.
These days, you can find the set going for around $7-$10 on eBay and it’s definitely a set that LEGO vintage hunters, especially AFOL (Adult Fans of LEGO) will enjoy for its accessories.
But overall, the “LEGO SYSTEM – Raft (2537)” was one of the coolest $2 sets of 1998 (with the “LEGO System – Castle” being my favorites) and it’s worth pursuing if you can find it online for a good price!
RATING: ***** (5 stars out of 5)